'Tis the season for grabbing some popcorn, curling up on the couch and watching the best streaming services. If, like me, you have no clue what to watch, the Netflix top-10 movie list is as great a place as any for cutting through the noise quickly.
But just because a movie's made the cut doesn't guarantee it's a hit. That's why we've narrowed down the best of the best in Netflix's top-10. Netflix has had one hell of a streak of great original movies this year, and you'll find its latest, a rare Christmas thriller that's earned and impressive 86% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, in the top spot this week. Also worth watching are the Angelina Jolie-led biopic on a legendary opera singer and Megan Fox's take on the AI-gone-rogue sci-fi genre.
So without further ado, here are the best movies in the Netflix top-10 you should add to your watch list. For even more recommendations on what to watch, check out our round-up of the best movies that just landed on streaming.
This article is based on the Netflix top 10 movies in the U.S. as of 11 a.m. ET on December 14.
BEST MOVIES IN THE NETFLIX TOP 10
'Maria'
"Maria" caps off director Pablo Larrain’s trilogy about influential women of the 20th century. Angelina Jolie stars as the titular opera singer, Maria Callas, in this biopic that recounts the American-Greek soprano's final days. Set in the 1970s during Callas’ final years in Paris, it sees the legendary diva reckon with her identity, life, and legacy amid ongoing struggles with vocal decline in the days leading up to her death in 1977. As she reflects, "Maria" flashes back to the high points of her career, showcasing her glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye.
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'Carry-on'
Traveling during the holidays is stressful, but "Carry-On" turns it into a nightmare scenario. This rare Christmas action-thriller is closer to "Die Hard" than "Love Actually," with "Rocketman" and "Kingsman" star Taron Egerton playing a TSA agent named Ethan who's blackmailed by a traveler (Jason Bateman) on Christmas Eve to let a dangerous package slip through security. Ethan must race against the clock to stop the sinister plot from unfolding and rediscover his zest for life along the way — it is still a holiday movie after all. Its unconventional premise anchored by two action movie powerhouses has earned "Carry-On" a respectable 86% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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'Subservience'
This Megan Fox-led sci-fi thriller has hovered in the Netflix top 10 for the past few weeks despite having critics and audiences split. You'll have to see and judge for yourself whether this AI-gone-rogue flick falls closer to "M3GAN" or "Afraid". Directed by S. K. Dale, "Subservience" is set in the near future where lifelike robotic assistants known as SIMs are a common house fixture. A father (Michele Morrone) struggling to care for his sick wife (Madeline Zima) and two kids purchases one of these androids, whom his daughter names "Alice" (Fox). But things take a sinister turn when the new robo-housekeeper starts getting a little too attached to him and his family — and starts eyeing the mom's place.
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NETFLIX TOP 10 MOVIES RIGHT NOW
1. "Carry-on" (2024)
2. "It Ends With Us" (2024)
3. "Subservience" (2024)
4. "That Christmas" (2024)
5. "Our Little Secret" (2019)
6. "The Star" (2017)
7. "Mary" (2024)
8. "We're the Millers" (2013)
9. "Maria" (2024)
10. "Disaster Holiday" (2024)
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